1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for evaluating equipment operability and an equipment operability evaluating program, and more specifically to an apparatus and method for evaluating equipment operability and an equipment operability evaluating program capable of evaluating the operability of equipment based on the operation of an equipment model on an image displaying the view of a human body model in a three-dimensional virtual space.
2. Description of the Related Art
The operability of equipment is verified by a recording staff who records the process of a test subject that has never operated the equipment actually operating the equipment. However, the physique of a person depends on the sex, race and so on and when the operability of equipment is evaluated, it is necessary to evaluate the operability based on the physique of each test subject. In the method of recording the process of a test subject operating equipment, it is hard to practically collect all physiques. Therefore, it is hard to correctly evaluate the operability of equipment. Additionally, although a problem can be detected by evaluating the operability of equipment, a sufficient period in which a design amendment can be made to improve the equipment is not permitted in most cases. As a result, evaluating the operability at an early designing stage is demanded.
In the field of various simulations such as digital mockup and so on, different body types depending on the race, sex and so on are represented by human body models using statistical values, and the human body models are arranged in a virtual space, thereby virtually experiencing the view of the real world in the view of a human body model, and successfully determining the appearance of equipment and visibility of a specific portion. In this method, a layout check and so on as to whether or not necessary parts are arranged in a work range of a test subject of each physique can be made.
Additionally, a technique of defining the user interface of equipment and the corresponding reaction of the equipment (for example, blinking an LED by a press of a specific part and so on), and checking the operation of a user interface unit has conventionally been developed.
Furthermore, patent document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 10-240791) describes the equipment operability evaluation support apparatus for supporting the process of evaluating the operability of the equipment by arranging an equipment model as a copy of the shape of the equipment to be designed or the equipment to be laid out in a simulation space, arranging the human body model for which an operation of equipment is supposed, and allowing the human body model to operate in the simulation space.
Patent document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-271891) describes the merchandise virtual experience system capable of experiencing the size, function, or operation of the merchandise not realized at the current situation by controlling a pseudo operation device capable of virtually operating merchandise or a part of it and a virtual space generation device for generating a virtual space.
Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 7-110804) describes the prototype device capable of allowing a third party to objectively verifying the operability by adding a modulation corresponding to characteristics of five senses of a person to operation input coordinates of the operation unit of equipment and a display output signal.
According to the study of the applicant of the present invention, there is the following problem even though a human body model is arranged in the three-dimensional virtual space, a designer checks the layout of equipment by experiencing the view with various physiques, and defines and verifies the operation of a user interface in the technique of the above described digital mockup and so on. That is, it is difficult for a test subject to verify the operability not about each operation of equipment but about whether or not a series of (plural) operations can be smoothly performed until a purpose is attained.
Concretely, when equipment is used, it is necessary to verify all points of operability such as the maintenance, composition, decomposition and so on by a maintenance staff and so on in addition to various operations of an end user. On the other hand, there can be a case in which an (operation) purpose can be attained only after a number of operations supposed for equipment are continuously performed as a series of operations. For example, the purpose of “deposit” in equipment called an automatic teller machine (ATM) includes a plurality of operations such as operating a touch panel, inserting a card, depositing cash and so on. There has been no device for evaluating the operability (serial operability until a purpose is attained) as to whether or not it is possible for a test subject to attain a purpose by smoothly operating the equipment when the test subject having less knowledge (than the designer of the equipment) about the equipment operates the equipment in a virtual space relating to a purpose formed by these plurality of operations.
Furthermore, according to the study of the applicant of the present invention, when the operability of equipment is evaluated-relating to a purpose formed by a plurality of operations, it is necessary to change the posture of a human body model when the plurality of operations are sequentially performed. However, since there has been no concept of evaluating the operability of equipment relating to a purpose formed by a plurality of operations, there has been no device for changing the posture of a human body model during the process.